


Slight Chance of Rain in the Next Few Laps

by prompt_fills



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Arguing, F1 Secret Santa, M/M, Pre-Slash, Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-02
Updated: 2015-01-02
Packaged: 2018-03-05 00:42:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3098582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prompt_fills/pseuds/prompt_fills
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sebastian and Mark don’t get along and that’s fine with Sebastian because he doesn’t know how to handle Mark not hating his guts.</p><p>Written for <img/><a href="http://f1secretsanta.livejournal.com/">F1secretsanta</a>'s 2014 Fic Exchange.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Slight Chance of Rain in the Next Few Laps

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kthxrawr](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=kthxrawr).



Sebastian tugs at the collar of his shirt and undoes the two top buttons. He frowns at his reflection in a mirror and turns so he can see himself from the side. With a sigh, he buttons up again. The unpleasant feeling of the collar fitting all to snugly against his neck comes back that instant. Jesus, he hates this. Thursday night parties he has to attend to please the sponsors.

He nearly forgets his watch. He returns to the bedroom, snatches it from a shelve. When he registers the time, he curses softly under his breath. He struggles with the clasp and frantically searches for his keys even if nowadays it’s okay to be fashionably late. He’s no longer _that little kid_.

There is a hum of background music, nearly drowned out by everyone talking over each other. Sebastian forces a smile as he goes to mingle.

His mood plummets the moment he notices Webber across the room, dazzling some undoubtedly important people.

Only it’s not Webber because Sebastian stopped calling him that, even in his head. It’s Mark now. Christian gave him a special talk about it.

Sebastian looks away. It’ll be okay. He’ll ignore Mark and Mark will ignore him, like they always do.

It works for a while, Sebastian waltzing through the crowd with his usual charms and wits, but then they get into a situation where it would be awkward not to acknowledge each other’s presence. Mark’s eyes crinkle and he extends his hand. Sebastian clasps Mark’s hand tightly and his stomach flips. He hopes he’s still smiling. He can’t tell, his face feels a bit numb. Somehow, things are worse when it’s _Mark_ and not _Webber_.

Sebastian’s hand is clammy, Mark’s grip strong. Sebastian bares his teeth, then a bit more. Just keep smiling.

-

Before the race, Mark reaches over and Sebastian accepts his hand automatically. He doesn’t have his gloves on but Mark does. “’Luck, mate,” Mark mumbles and he’s gone.

Sebastian stares down the grid, wondering if Mark is doing that on purpose, if he’s just trying to fuck with Sebastian’s head before the race. If he is, it’s _not_ working.

Sebastian climbs into the car and finally feels calm. He’s focused. The settings. The track. The race. Everything else ceases to exist. It’s just him, his car and his trophy to win. He closes his eyes and pictures it all going his way. He can practically feel the taste of champagne in his mouth.

They switch on his engine. He licks his lips, pulls the car away from the pole and guides her through the warm-up lap.

Red lights. Then, finally, the start.

He’s first to the turn, Mark glued to his rear wing, not screwing his start for once in a blue moon. Sebastian closes the door on him, quick and aggressive. He has the lead, after all.

Sebastian curses when Mark squeezes past him at the end of the lap.

Mark goes wide, of course he goes fucking wide, he was so late on the breaks Sebastian had to leave him enough room so they wouldn’t collide.

Mark recovers and they hit the next apex in sync.

Sebastian’s front wing pierces Mark’s front right tyre. It’s a barely there touch but it’s enough to make the damage.

Mark drops behind, scattering rubber across the track.

Sebastian catches glimpses of it on the flat screens around the circuit. Mark makes it to the pits. They chose to retire him.

Sebastian wins the race.

After, he catches up with Mark. He gets defensive because he knows Mark’s fucked up race isn’t his problem. Mark turned too sharp, he didn’t yield. It was a racing incident, no further action to be taken. Sebastian prepares to argue with Mark.

Mark just nods at him: “ _Great_ job, mate.” Then he walks away.

Sebastian watches after Mark, hoping it’s all just an act, the light stride to Mark’s step and the perfectly relaxed pose of his shoulders.

He wonders why Mark’s words always cut so deep, why they hurt so much, why it is so easy for Mark to piss Sebastian off with one snide remark. He knows Mark is doing that to provoke him and he lets the things Mark says get to him anyway.

Mark can’t see him now but he still feels like he’s giving Mark the satisfaction, moping miserably in his room, alone. What a win.

-

The team meeting is awkward.

Christian is disappointed with them both, which is unfair because he did win the race. The season is nearly over and he has a comfortable lead. This will be his year for sure.

Mark gets vicious with his comments and there is only so much Sebastian can stand. Mark seems to think it’s everyone else’s fault but his.

“Don’t tell me how to drive my car,” Sebastian snaps.

“Wouldn’t dream of it. I admire what you do,” Mark says, mocking. He doesn’t even look at Sebastian.

It pisses Sebastian off. “I wouldn’t expect anything else from you!”

Mark turns to look at Sebastian for the first time since he entered the room. His eyes are piercing and full of rage. Sebastian’s chest feels tight and his lungs aren’t supplying enough oxygen.

For a moment, Sebastian is sure Mark is going to leap over the table and launch at him. Mark doesn’t, though.

“If you crash again in the next race, it will get both of you fired,” Christian threatens.

Face turned away from Christian, Mark rolls his eyes. Sebastian has to bite his lip so he doesn’t laugh.

Afterwards, he seeks Mark out. Mark is sitting at the table in their motorhome, a book opened in front of him and he seems to be completely sucked into the story. One of his dogs is sitting faithfully at his legs and it’s huge enough to have its head in Mark’s lap while still sitting. Mark is stroking the dog absentmindedly with one hand, turning the pages with the other. He doesn’t notice Sebastian’s staring but the dog does, eventually. It turns its head, getting slobber all over Mark’s trousers.

Mark smiles at that. Eww. Then Mark notices Sebastian and the smile is gone that second but he nods at Sebastian so Sebastian comes closer. He gives Mark a bashful smile before sitting down. The dog moves to greet him, and isn’t that a little terrifying, but Mark pokes the dog in its chest and the monster settles down again, leaving Sebastian thankfully slobber free.

“Where is the other one?” Sebastian hears himself saying.

“Around.”

Sebastian takes in a deep breath and offers to buy them coffee. A cheap peace offering in a plastic cup. Mark looks down at him, eyes darkening, and says that he doesn’t drink coffee.

Well, Sebastian doesn’t either. He was just trying to be nice. No more of these stupid ideas.

-

They don’t collide in the next race but they spend so much time fighting each other that Kimi catches up with them. He puts Mark under pressure and eventually, usurps the second. Which is fine with Sebastian but Christian calls in another meeting with both his drivers.

It gets out of hand quite quickly.

Sebastian is snapping before he knows it. “Since the day I’ve met you, you’ve never been anything but an asshole to me.”

Mark puts on that smile, that infuriating smile. “You put us here, not me.”

Sebastian is shouting. He doesn’t know what he’s shouting exactly but it sure as hell isn’t nice. He just wants to hurt Mark as badly as Mark hurt him, to give as good as he got.

“All right,” Mark intones, dark and low, gets up from his chair and heads out of the room.

Sebastian’s chest is heaving and he has leaned over the table on one hand. He doesn’t even remember standing up but now he’s towering over everyone in the room and everyone’s faces are turned to him, some shocked, other disbelieving. Chris is just looking frustrated and Sebastian quickly looks away and sits down.

“Sorry,” he mutters.

“I think,” Adrian begins, “that you need to be saying that to Mark.”

Sebastian takes in a breath. “Okay, I will apologize.”

“That’s not fair to him. You always insult him and they you just say you’re sorry and he is supposed to forget what you’ve said?”

Sebastian isn’t sure where this is heading. The anger that has been quick to raise has been also quick to burn up and now he’s just wary of the outcome. “I’ll buy him chocolate and then I’ll apologize?” he tries.

“No. We need to make you two work together.”

Sebastian doesn’t like the sound of that.

-

Sebastian blindly reaches his arm to mute the blaring alarm. He’s a bit disoriented for a while, running over his schedule in his head and wondering why the hell is he awake this early on his weekend off. Then he remembers.

The title. The celebrations. The special off-season team bonding activities Christian made them agree to. Brilliant.

He kicks off the covers, grumpily gets out of his bed, puts on his clothes and gets ready for a day off in the wilderness, as Christian promised them.

It’s worse than Sebastian thought. They’re driving forever, then they get out of their cars and march to the middle of nowhere. The weather is not half bad; there is no snow and the sun is starting to peek out behind the clouds. But instead of heading to a cottage hidden in the woods like Sebastian though they were going to, Christian stops in a clearing where is literary nothing but trees, grass and the sky. Christian handles Mark a map and tells them the coordinates of their destination. Then he pairs up with Adrian and they disappear between the shadows of the trees before Sebastian shakes off his shock.

He turns to Mark, gaping. “No way.”

Mark’s lip twitches.

“No way!”

-

“Perfect! Fucking perfect!” Sebastian fumes, stomping up a steep slope, Mark trailing behind him. “Fuck Christian and his fucking ideas.”

Sebastian stops so suddenly Mark nearly knocks him down. Sebastian snaps: “Give me the map.”

Mark raises an eyebrow. “Again?”

Driving Mark insane could be the only bright side to this torture. “Yes, again! And as many times as I want to!” Sebastian replies hotly, his fists clenching.

Mark opens his knapsack and fishes out the map. Sebastian snatches it out of his hands, unfolds it and tries to make some sense of it.

“We are here,” Sebastian taps his finger against what might just as well be an absolutely random place on the map.

“We are _lost_ , Seb,” Mark comments dryly, looking over his shoulder.

Sebastian turns to him, crumpling the map and smacking it against Mark’s chest. Without any other words, Sebastian squares his shoulders and walks away, his head high. Mark follows him silently. If he knows Sebastian picked the same direction from which they had come, he keeps it to himself.

-

It’s getting late, Sebastian is still pissed off and Mark still finds the whole situation highly amusing, which only annoys Sebastian further. “I don’t see what’s so funny about this,” Sebastian scowls.

“You are,” Mark shrugs.

Sebastian glares at him but Mark is immune because this is probably just a walk in a park compared to Australia.

“It will be dark within two hours,” Mark remarks, looking up at the sky.

“How can you tell?”

“I was _observatating_ ,” Mark says slowly, carefully. He narrowly avoids a handful of pebbles thrown at his head with a surprising swiftness.

“How many languages do _you_ speak?”

Mark doesn’t bother answering and Sebastian is glad because their constant bickering is getting old. Even if Mark being nice could be dangerous. Sebastian stomps down the feeling of hope in his chest like he did so many times before. He’s done playing that game with himself, in his head. It’s just too dangerous.

“We should find some place to stay the night before it gets too dark.”

Sebastian is reluctant to admit defeat but he knows Mark is right; the shadows are getting longer and the sun is slowly inching towards the horizon. The temperature has also dropped considerably. It won’t be long before nightfall.

“Do you think it is going to rain?” Sebastian asks with a frown.

“Maybe. I don’t know.” Mark takes a long breath though his nose. “I really don’t know. I can’t tell.”

Sebastian gives him an odd look but then he decides to let it go and starts walking again. Mark hurries to keep up with him, probably already used to Sebastian’s mood swings.

For a brief second something strangle flickers in Mark’s eyes and Sebastian, ever the optimist, thinks Mark is going to say something nice. Like, _don’t worry, we’re going to be fine._

“Don’t worry. Christian would have my head chopped off it I let you get lost.”

-

Some forty minutes and two kilometres later, Sebastian is finally willing to admit that they are lost. They could have been walking around in circles and they would never know. They will have to spend the night under open sky. Maybe they will have to use the map to kindle a fire to life.

“Fucking Christian! He said it would be a great training! Whoo-bloody-hoo! We have no idea where the hell we are!” Sebastian explodes.

“Seb,” Mark tries, his voice on the wrong side of understanding.

“Don’t _Seb_ me! Fuck it – fuck _you_!”

Sebastian takes a step backwards. Before he can turn on his heel and get as far away from Mark as possible, his feet catches and he stumbles, falling sideways.

Objectively, Mark has no time to react but Sebastian is still shocked when he hits the ground.

Mark offers his hand to help Sebastian get back on his feet but Sebastian chooses to ignore it. The less contact between them, the better.

“Shit,” he gasps as he staggers to his feet, wincing at the sharp pain that shoots up his ankle. He sways dangerously and Mark reaches out to steady him. The touch seems to last forever. “Shit,” Sebastian says again.

Sebastian carefully tests the ankle. It’s not broken, just hurts a lot. He has to shake Mark’s hand off.

“Stop before you make it worse,” Mark says, poking at Sebastian’s ankle.

Sebastian feels his face go pale, then red. “Crap.” He desperately tried to be standoffish. And failed. He would fuss about it later. For now, he leans closer to Mark. For the warmth. His eyes drift shut. He sniffles.

He hasn’t quite been himself all day. Or maybe, not at all, lately.

“Are you okay?”

“Of course I’m okay,” he says, carefully not letting bitterness seep into his voice.

-

“You’re not okay,” Mark says a bit later. They have stopped for a while, resting side by side against a tree trunk. The bark is rough and cracked. Sebastian digs his fingers into it so he doesn’t do anything silly, like reach out to Mark and cling to him.

“My leg is fine,” Sebastian says. It’s even true.

“But?”

“You hate me,” Sebastian whispers quietly.

“You hate me,” Mark echoes, then he takes in a long breath. “You hate me anyway. Look up.”

Sebastian does. Before he can fully register the clumps of mistletoe growing on the tree above them, Mark leans in and kisses him.

Sebastian gasps, a mix of shock and hope. He wraps his hands around Mark, eagerly returning the kiss.

Mark’s hand goes through Sebastian’s hair, messing it up. Sebastian doesn’t mind in the slightest.

Sebastian only pulls away when he hears someone shouting in the distance.

It sounds a lot like Christian. It’s loud and panicked. Sebastian tilts his head and listens. There are some other voices, too.

Mark goes still. “Well?”

“I think it’s going to rain,” Sebastian says, looking up. It looks like it might be raining already but they are sheltered by the trees. He leans back against Mark. Mark slouches, resting his head against Sebastian’s shoulder.

“Yes, can’t you tell?” Mark mumbles against his neck. “So?”

“He found us now, he’ll find us again. I say we let him stew for now.”

“Finally a good idea,” Mark agrees. “Go back to what you were doing before.”


End file.
